East Cork - 11th July 2010

People: Me

Duration: 10.30 pm to 1.30 am

Tide: LW at 12.30 am

Weather: Light southerly wind, overcast, couple of heavy showers

Bait: Razor, lug

Rigs: 4/0 pennel pulleys

Results: 2 codling, 3 dogfish




Report:I hadn't been fishing for two weeks due to a sore foot. The foot was OK after the rest so I was looking forward to a good session on Sunday. I packed the car and headed off at 11 am to West Waterford, I intended to concentrate on lure fishing and maybe some bait fishing if the water was too coloured. When I got to Dungarvan Bay I stopped to dig some lug. Then as I was digging it dawned on me that, although I had packed all my lure fishing gear, I had forgotten to bring the spinning rod

So I didn't have any choice but to bait fish. I cast a couple of full razors with lug into a trough in front of the oyster beds but crabs had the bait stripped in minutes and the line became choked with slimy weed. After less than an hour I decided I was wasting my time there and moved on to a beach with a good surf - but it also had a load of weed - I was hauling in big clumps of kelp 10-15 minutes after every cast. Eventually I had enough of that and packed up early and headed home early to watch the World Cup Final.

At the end of the match I headed out to an East Cork beach - I had fished it the last time I was out two weeks ago and it had fished reasonably well (6.5 lb bass) so I was hopeful of a good session. When I arrived there was a nice surf but the eastern end of the beach was covered with weed, mostly big stalks of kelp, there was a little at the western end too but the center looked fairly clear. I cast out the first rod baited with a full razor and a couple of lug. As I was setting up the second rod, the first rod started to slowly bend over with the tell tail sign that weed was building up. I hauled it back in - there was a big clump on the leader knot and on the terminal tackle - then I spotted a small codling in amongst the weed. Codling are still here

I finished baiting up the second rod and waded out - but by this time the weed was dense in the shallows. I waded out past the main concentration of weed and cast out. As the tide dropped the weed seemed to be drifting in from the beach to the west. Again the rods began to bend over due to weed accumulations. I started to haul in the first rod - it was a struggle to retrieve the line - I thought it was just kelp but found a large dogfish on the end.

A little later I hauled in another big clump of kelp, then spotted something flapping on the beach - another codling, this time a fair bit bigger and plumper, at 39 cm.

Close to low tide I spotted what looked like a slack line bite - or just the weed pulling up the gripper - I wasn't sure - as I started hauling in the line I could feel there was a mass of weed on the end but there also seemed to be something giving a bit of a kick - it was another dogfish.

I had one more dogfish just before I packed up. So not a great session. I spent most of the night struggling with big clumps of kelp and cleaning off the weed - I probably just had lines in the water for a hour out of a three hour session. I only perservered because I reckoned there would be fish out there looking for food within all the weed and debris. But it was very surprising to get two codling off an East Cork beach in the second week of July
When I fished there two weeks ago I had four codling.
Why are the codling still here???

Great report Frank, well done. I hope the foot is recovering nicely, it's great that you were finally able to get out for a session, I'm sure you where going mad not being able to fish while waiting on the foot to heal!
It's a shame that you forgot your spinning rod, I'm sure you where mad when you realised you had left it at home. Never mind, these things happen, it's easily done when your trying to get your gear organised and into the car. I have been there and done that plenty of times myself.
It's good to see a few codling showing up still at this time of year down there, that must have been abit of a surprise to you when you seem them at first.

Good reading in that report Frank. Must of been fun digging lug with that sore foot Don't know what it is lately, but the crabs and the weed have the fishing wrecked. At least you can work around the weed; the crabs are another matter. I was out the same day as you: I tried a new mark––a nice tidal creek full of shellfish and lug--that I was certain would hold big flatties. No dice: the crabs were like razor blades on the bait as soon as it went in. It was gutting after breaking by back getting the worm. I guess peeler are the only answer here, though I've yet to encounter a crab that was above cannibalism ...

Great report Frank, well done. I hope the foot is recovering nicely, it's great that you were finally able to get out for a session, I'm sure you where going mad not being able to fish while waiting on the foot to heal!

Thanks, it was frustrating alright.

It's good to see a few codling showing up still at this time of year down there, that must have been abit of a surprise to you when you seem them at first.

It seems very unusual to get them so late on the Cork shore - I guess it's a consequence of the cold winter.

Good reading in that report Frank. Must of been fun digging lug with that sore foot

My "digging" foot is OK - its the other one that is the problem.

on't know what it is lately, but the crabs and the weed have the fishing wrecked.

Its tough going alright - by this time last year I was well on the way to 50 bass but only 17 so far this year. I thought bass fishing would pick up after the end of the bass ban but it is still slow and the weather and weed isn't helping

at least ya beat the blank frank weed is killer at the moment the harbour here is still alive with codling

Glad to hear youre out fishing again Frank,,,,,,,,wasnt great with all the weed and then the football wasnt great either,at least you got a few fish ,,,i was out fishing that night and watched the Final on sky + after midnight when I got home,,,,,,shouldnt have bothered . Coincidentally my son David has moved down to Midleton so theres another,,, taller Dave O Reilly down in East Cork

Its tough going alright - by this time last year I was well on the way to 50 Bass but only 17 so far this year. I thought Bass fishing would pick up after the end of the Bass ban but it is still slow and the weather and weed isn't helping

Well, 17 is better than the big fat zero that I've tallied in 2010––and not for want of trying. Just in the door from a session in Ballyquinn; not a sausage from it. Did I say earlier you can work around the weed? I take it back: this stuff covered the line to such an extent that the tide caught it and washed it up on the beach. It was very frustrating as all the other conditions were perfect: good tide at dusk, heavy surf, nicely coloured water. Maybe next time ...